DES PLAINES, Ill.—The industry is fighting back against an Illinois municipality’s attempt to do an “end around” of a recent court ruling barring public fire districts from monopolizing fire monitoring in the state.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Another front in the battle in Illinois over public entities monopolizing fire alarm monitoring opened up recently when the village of Westmont approved an ordinance requiring all businesses to connect their fire alarms to its emergency dispatch center.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Now that a federal judge has ordered the Lisle-Woodridge Fire District to get out of the fire alarm monitoring business, the state alarm association is encouraging private alarm contractors to once again seek customers there.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—The latest decision in a lawsuit brought by ADT and other alarm companies over public entities taking over fire alarm monitoring in the state contains “a lot of positive things for the alarm industry," according to the executive director of the Illinois Electronic Security Association.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—A PSAP that controls emergency communications for numerous municipalities around Chicago is reportedly having such problems with delayed response times that dispatchers recently voted “no confidence” in the agency’s management.

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—The security alarm industry scored two significant victories last week in an ongoing battle in this state over public entities monopolizing fire alarm monitoring, according to the head of the Illinois Electronic Security Association.

CHICAGO, Ill.—A federal appeals court based here says public fire districts in Illinois have a legal right to be in the fire alarm monitoring business, but can’t displace the private fire market in doing so.